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Tulapur is a village in Pune district, Maharashtra, India associated with the last moments of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, Son of Chhatrapati Shivaji.
Contents
Map of Tulapur, Maharashtra 412216
History
Captured at Sangameshwar, close to Tulapur, Chhatrapati Sambhaji was executed at Tulapur by Aurangzeb on 11-March-1689 due to his fight and bravery against the latter. He was hacked and his pieces were thrown into the river Bhima. However, a community that lived on the banks of the same river retrieved the pieces of his body and sewed them together. This community is to this day known as "Shivale" (lit. "those that sewed"). In defiance of the Mughal Emperor's orders, his mortal remains were then cremated by the brave villagers of Vadhu, a village not far from Tulapur. Along with Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, his poet-friend Kavi Kalash was also killed by Aurangzeb at the same place, just few days before.
Geography
Tulapur is about 40 Kilometres north east of Pune. It is situated at the confluence of the Bhima river and the Indrayani River and was originally known as 'Nagargaon'. The Sangameshwar temple built on the banks of the confluence a popular spot for tourists and devotees alike. The Samādhi at Vadhu was unattended to until recently. It is now being renovated. Kavi Kalash's samadhi too is present at Vadhu.
A Samadhi of Sambhaji Maharaj is situated at Tulapur as well. It is disputed as to where exactly he was cremated, with a group of historians asserting that he was cremated at Tulapur itself and not at Vadhu. Nonetheless, both these places have their equal share in Maratha history.